Other Characters

Aside from the main characters of Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia, The Golden Girls featured a small cast of recurring characters. Some, like Dorothy's ex-husband Stan (who appeared more frequently than any other supporting character), would appear multiple times throughout the series.
Other friends and relatives appeared only once or twice, and some characters such as Rose's late husband Charlie never actually appeared on screen but were mentioned frequently and even figured prominently in storylines. Blanche's late husband George appeared only once, in a dream sequence.

Eight neighbors were referenced over the show's run; one family (The Westons) were the stars of the spinoff series Empty Nest. Of the neighbors, only the Westons, the McDowells, the Bartons, and Frida Claxton were actually shown on screen, while the Chungs, the McKenzies, the Donaldsons, and the Schillers are only mentioned.

The Westons

The Westons consisted of Dr. Harry Weston, his dog Dreyfus and his two daughters; Barbara and Carol. Harry Weston was a pediatrician and was prominently featured in a two-episode story in which Dorothy suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He was instrumental in her proper diagnosis, being the only physician besides his referral who believed she was actually sick.

His two daughters also appeared throughout the sitcom's run. His middle daughter, Barbara, made her living as police woman and in one episode she arrested a man in the girls' living room. His other daughter, Carol, also appeared in several episodes. Carol had sightly more direct involvement with girls than Barbara. She dated Stanley Zbornak's psychiatrist, Dr. Richard (Richie) Halperin, in one episode and crashed Blanche's party in the episode "Moonlight Madness". Carol was neurotic and emotionally unstable. Her career, although thoroughly explored in Empty Nest, was never mentioned in The Golden Girls.